Self-threading take-up.



s. w. AVI S. SELF THREADING TAKE-UP.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 30. 1914.

Patented Feb. 29,1916.

WITNESSES THE COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH c0., WASHINGTON. D. c.

SAMUEL WALTER AVIS,

OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOE TO THE IHERROW MACHINE COMPANY, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF CON- SELF-TI-IBEADING TAKE-UP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

PatentedFeb. 29, 1916.

Application filed January 30, 1914. Serial No. 815,475.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL WALTER Arts, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hartford, in the county of Hartford, State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements 'in Self-Threading Take-Ups; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and to the figures and letters of reference thereon.

My invention relates to sewing machines and relates more particularly to improvements in means for pulling off controlling and taking up the thread thereof.

One object of this invention is to provide a device for pulling off, controlling and taking up the thread, that may be used to perform any one or for any combination of these functions; that is so organized and constructed that the moving implement acting upon the thread may be automatically thread itself, thus avoiding the necessity of manual threading.

Another object of the invention is to provide improved devices that will effect the control of the slack thread and the action of which devices may be modified or adjusted within limits to meet different conditions.

l/Vith the above and other objects, which will hereinafter become apparent, my invention consists in certain new and useful combinations of elements and in details of construction hereinafter more fully set forth.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a left end elevation of an overseaming machine of the well known Merrow type that embodies the features of the present invention. Fig. 2 is an elevation of the present embodiment of my invention and parts of the machine associated therewith, as viewed from the left of Fig. 1. Figs. 3, i, and 5 are diagrams in the same elevation as the Fig. 1, showing the present embodiment of my invention and parts of the machine associated therewith the moving parts included in the diagrams being shown in different operative positions. In the Figs il, 3, 1 and 5 portions of the machine are indicated in dot and dash lines.

Throughout the several figures of the drawings, like characters of reference indicate the same parts.

i by the oscillatory reciprocating loop Although, as hereinabove stated, the devices of my invention may perform the functions either of a pull-off, of a thread controller or of a take-up, and although it may perform any combination of these func' tions, I shall hereinafter, for the sake of brevity, refer to my invention as a take up.

The single embodiment of my invention that I have shown in the drawings is a form particularly adapted to operate on the me dle thread of a Merl-ow high speed overedging or overseaming machine and it is to one of these machines that I have shown my invention applied. Machines of this type are disclosed and referred to in United States patents to Joseph M. Merrow, No. 541,049, issued Oct. 5, 1897; and to William H. Stedman, Nos. 732,457, issued June 30, 1903; 731,987, issued July 28, 1903; and 1,071,818, issued Sept. 2, 1913.

Referring in detail to the accompanying drawings: The numeral 1 indicates the curved, reciprocating eye pointed needle, 2 the needle carrier which is fulcrumed on the taper bodied stud 3 and which carrier is actuated, in the well known manner, through the stud *2 and the link by the rotating crank pin 5 on the headed end or crank disk 5 of the shaft- 5". In the machine shown, the periphery of the crank disk and the end portion of the shaft opposite thereto are ournaled in the frame of the machine.

The looper 6, reciprocating beneath the needle plate 7 in a path substantially parallel to the axis of the stud 3, cooperates in the usual manner with the needle to pass a loop of the lower or looper thread L through the loop of,the needle thread N that is passed through the fabric and the needle plate 7 by the descending needle, near the lower end of its stroke. The loop of looper thread after being passed through the needle loop in this manner is grasped carrier 8 and carried upward around the edge of the needle plate and into the path of the descending needle which passes a needle thread loop through the said lower thread loop as the said needle penetrates the fabric and descends through the needle plate.

The numeral 10 indicates the work plate, 11 the feed dog, 19: the presser foot mounted in the head 13 of the frame head member 13 which is mounted on the frame 13.

The numeral 1 1 indicates a thread guide for leading the needle thread N from its source of supply to the tension 15, 16 indicates a thread tube for guiding the lower or looper thread L, after it has passed through its tension 17 and its take up 18, to the eye of the looper 6.

eferring more particularly to the em-- bodiment of my invention as shown: The numeral 20 indicates the take up implement terminating in a thread engaging hook 21 which encompasses the throat portion 22. The link 4 is recessed as shown at 23, for the reception of the end of the shank portion 24 of the take up implement, which end is held in the said recess by the screw 25. The stationary thread eye 30 is, in the present case, set in a recess 13 in the frame head member 13 and is located at one side of the plane of movement of the throat 22 of the implement 20 and preferably within the path of movement of the said throat. This eye need not be adjustable although in some cases it may be better to provide an adjustable eye in the stead of the fixed eye 30. On the opposite side of the plane of movement of the throat of the implement 20 and approximately abreast of the eye 30, is provided the adjustable stationary thread eye 40. In the present case, this eye is formed in the depending end of a thread guiding arm 41 which arm is supported by the shank portion 42 which fits in the bore 13 in the head 13. The shank 42 is preferably slabbed at 43 and thus the end of the set screw 44, which screw is for the purpose of securing the arm 41 in any adjusted position that may be desired, settling on the slabbed face 43 effects the angular or rotative positioning of the arm 41. While in the machine shown, the only adjustment provided for the action of the take up is the horizontal adjustment of eye 40 in the arm 41 in a plane parallel to the plane of movement of the throat of the implement 20, this feature may be modified so as to best suit the conditions to which the invention is applied. In some cases it has been found desirable to substitute arms of clifferent lengths or forms rather than to use the longitudinal adjustment shown in the present embodiment, and again it may sometimes be .t'ound desirable to adjust the said arm rotatively on its shank, which latter adjustment is provided by simply omitting the slabbing of the shank shown at 43.

lVhen a machine embodying my invention as shown in the drzuvings is set into operation: The crank 5, turning to the right as indicated by the arrow and actuating the needle carrier 2 through the link 4, causes the needle carrier to vibrate or swing on the stud 3 and thus the needle is caused, alternately, to descend through the needle plate to a point below the path of reciprocation of the looper 6, and to ascend to a point above the upper portion of the path of the loop carrier 8, in the manner common to sewing machines of the'type described. The link 4 has a traveling in the path of the crank the end that embraces the stud 2 reciprocating in an arc with the axis of the stud 3 as its center. The throat 22 of the implement 20 moves in. an ovate path approximately represented by the arrow adjacent thereto indicating the direction of movement. The feed. dog 11 operates with the usual four motion movement to feed the fabric to the left as viewed in the Fig. 1, and the take up 18 vibrates vertically, pulling off and taking up the thread L as it ascends and controlling the thread as it descends. Both the feed dog and the take up implement operate in planes parallel to the plane in which they are shown in the Fig. 1.

In forming the first stitch after the threading up of the machine, the needle, in passing the first loop through the needle plate to the looper,'usually draws up all slack thread in the needle threading system on the needle side of the tension, and if there should have been no slack thread in the said system, the needle usually pulls off from the tension the thread required for the first loop. Thus usually, within the first complete traverse of the p by the implement 20, which we may term a complete cycle thereof, the claw 21 of the said implement approaches the thread and passes over it if the thread be strung taut between the eyes 30 and 40, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, by the action of the needle, and the functioning of the take up can commence without being threadedby hand. Even if the thread be slack at this time or had been passed around the back of the throat, (the left hand vertical edge opposite to the edge 26, as viewed in Fig. 1-) or even if it should have been passed under the shank portion, the positions the implement assumes during its movement are such and the implement is so shaped that the thread will, ordinarily, be properly engaged by the said implement during its first cycle of movements. Thus in cases as above cited, the implement will perform one or more cycles until the needle has used up the excess of slack thread and then, normal conditions having been instituted, the claw 21 of the implement will ap proach the thread between the eyes 30 and 40, as shown in Fig. 1 and 2, and pass over the same, (somewhat after the shown-in Fig. 5) and the edge or throat extension 26, engaging the thread between the two said eyes, will pull off or take up thread as shown in Fig. 3. V

In theformation of stitches on a machine embodying my invention, the same compound motion, the end of V the said link that embraces the crank 5 and in the drawings.

manner being herein described in one particular preferred adjustment. The stitch forming mechanism, having passed through the positions in which they are shown in Fig. 5 and the implement 20 having moved along the path 79 accordingly, as the needle, after having passed its loop through the needle plate to the looper, begins to ascend, the edge 26 of the take up implement engages the thread between the eyes 30 and a0 and pulls the same into a loop as shown in Fig. 3 pulling thread through the tension and controlling the thread as the needle, in ascending is letting off a thread loop to the looper. lVhile the needle is continuing to ascend, the implement 20 controls the thread last pulled off, as, continuing in its movement it traverses the path 2) to a point intermediate the positions shown in Figs. 3 and 4-, 6. when the throat 22 is directly below the eyes 30 and l0), during which time the edge 26 slides on the thread, and at the same time controls the slack thereof. At the point intermediate the positions shown in Figs. 3 and lreferred to, the loop of thread pulled off has entered the throat 22 of the implement and is pulled along the path j) to the position shown in Fig. 4 thus taking up the thread as it is slackened by the rising of the needle and the dropping of the needle loop by the looper, and tightening the stitch. During this time the needle has completed its ascent and has begun to descend as shown in Fig. l. Proceeding from this position, the implement 20, passing from the position shown in Fig. a. to that shown in Fig. 5, controls the thread as it lets out the loop of needle thread held in its throat to the needle which has entered the loop presented by the loop carrier, as shown in Fig. 4, and is descending to pass another loop of thread to the looper. On arriving at about the position shown in Fig. 5, the hook 21 drops the loop and, passing between eyes 30 and 40 and over the thread therebetween, while the needle completes its descent and begins to rise, the edge 26 pulls off thread, as before, for the next stitch as shown in Fig. 3 and as hereinabove described. It will be noted that the moving of the eyes 30 and a0 to the right from the positions as shown in Figs. 1, 3, 4: and 5 will increase the take no action and decrease the pull off action and that the moving of the said eyes to the left will increase the pull off action and decrease the take up action.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In a sewing machine including a tension and an eye pointed needle, a take up of the class described comprising a pair of stationary thread guiding and supporting elements and an implement having a hooked throated portion traveling in an ovate path and adapted to operate upon the thread extending between the said thread guiding and supporting elements said elements being mounted on a stationary portion of the machine between the tension and the needle eye and being so disposed with relation to path of travel of the implement, that the implement in its operation will be automatically threaded during any complete traverse of its path.

In a sewing machine and in combination with the stitch forming mechanism thereof, two stationary thread supporting and guiding elements, a thread controlling implement having a hook provided with a throat and a thread engaging edge, and means for actuating the implement in an ovate path, a portion of which is between the thread supporting and guiding elements, whereby the point of the hook will pass over and grasp the thread and whereby the thread will be pulled off and taken up, and let out and controlled, by the throat, the hook and the thread engaging edge: in the manner herein shown and described.

In a sewing machine, including a tension and an eye pointed needle, a thread con trolling device interposed between the tension and the needle and including in combination; a pair of thread guiding and supporting elements, an implement provided with a pointed hook comprehending a throat, a thread engaging edge into which a wall of the said throat merges, the said thread engaging edge extending past and beyond the point of the hook, and means for carrying and actuating the implement whereby the throat thereof is caused to travel in an endless curvilinear path that crosses and circumscribes a straight line extending between the thread guiding and supporting elements, and the thread engaging edge is caused to sweep across the said path. the thread between the said guiding and supporting elements, when extending in a normal course therebetweembeing engaged by the thread engaging edge during the ad vance stroke thereof, and, as the said edge slides across the thread in engagement therewith on the return stroke, the said thread will be led into operative engagement with the throat and the hook, substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.

fis. In a device of the class described, the combination of a moving thread engaging implement comprising a shank portion secured to the pitman link of the needle actuating mechanism of a sewing machine, and a thread engaging portion forming an inclined extension of the said shank and terminating at the free end thereof in a pointed curviform hook comprehending a substantially circular and open throat, a thread engaging edge extending from the said throat past the point of the hook to the forward edge of the shank and forming an internal the i angle therewith, an edge extending from the back of the hook to the rear edge of the shank and forming an external angle therewith, the throat of the thread engaging portion being adapted to operate in an endless curvilinear path and the said thread engaging edge being adapted to operate over the field included Within the said path, with a combined vibratory and reciproeatory motion, and two stationary thread guiding eyes mounted one on either side of the plane in which the said path lies, the normal course of the thread between the said eyes being in the direction of a line passing through-the aid plane and Within the limits of the said path, whereby the said thread engaging implement will be automatically threaded during a complete cycle thereof, and whereby the improper functioning thereof is provided against, substantially as herein set forth.

SAMUEL VALTER AVIS. V i tnesses OLIVER MERROW,

GEORGE ALLEN PAGE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

